She is the author of the Amazon best-selling steampunk series The Airship Racing Chronicles, the award-winning horror/dark fantasy Harvesting Series, and The Saga of Lady Macbeth.

She grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and earned a Master's degree in English from Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, Shakespeare nerd, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.Follow me here:Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | EmailBooks available here:Amazon.com

What do you do when you’re not writing about the end of days or things that go bump in the night?I am the mom of a 5 and 4 year old, so I spend a lot of time singing “Let it Go” and stepping on legos. When I’m not doing those things, I am an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.Tell me about your latest book, something unusual if possible.Midway: A Harvesting Novella is book 1.5 in my Dark Fantasy/Zombie series (though it can be read before or after The Harvesting). In my book, one of the survivors of the zombie apocalypse is Vella, a tarot reader. I have read tarot for many years, so I worked the symbolism of the Major Arcana tarot cards into the novel. The novel begins with the card “The Tower.” I follow the entire suit of Arcana cards in the novella, embedded as symbols along the way. The cards help Vella guide her group to safety.

***Midway is a tie-in novella that compliments The Harvesting, Book I in The Harvesting Series.***

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, for the beginning of the end.

Carnie. Ride jockey. Roustabout. White trash. Tilt girl. Gypsy. Cricket has been called a lot of things, but she never thought survivor of the zombie apocalypse would be one of them. One day she’s barking on the midway, and the next day, the world is eating itself alive.

Cricket, along with Vella, a tarot reader, and Puck, Cricket’s mangy mutt, find themselves running for their lives, but where can you hide when mankind has fallen? Cricket will need help if she hopes to survive.

Luckily for her, we were never really alone, and apparently, magical forces want to keep this tilt girl alive.

Join Cricket in this unique zombie apocalypse series. It's all fun and games until someone ends up undead!

What makes you want to write about dystopia/the apocalypse and or horror?A morbid fascination with death? Just kidding…well, kinda. I think that mankind’s nature puzzles me. I believe, in the very Freudian way, that we are a species that is self-destructive by nature. But I wonder what would happen if we did manage to destroy ourselves. How would we behave? What kind of people survive the apocalypse? With our death, since we are a very noisy bunch, what might we discover about the makeup of our own world? Layla, my protagonist, learns that there were other creatures living alongside us all this time…vampires, shifter, etc. It is something I’ve always questioned.

Are you a prepper with an apocalypse plan in place, or are you just going to wing it?No, not at all. When it comes to the zpoc, I have no weapons, two small kids, and am not friends with cardio. Just go ahead and headshot me now.

What’s your apocalypse/horror song?My playlists are totally weird. I think I channel Tarantino in this regard a bit. For Cricket, her zpoc song has been “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra. Don’t askJI believe that the horror genre is way more accepting of female horror writers now, what’s your take on it.I agree completely. I know other female authors have had difficulties in the past, but that’s not my experience. I have found the horror community to be very welcoming. As well, I think there is a sisterhood amongst female horror writers. I don’t think there is the stigma there has been in the past. I think many readers are female and enjoy the slant we can provide on this genre as well.

Midway Excerpt

“Tilt-a-whirl, tilt-a-whirl, tilt-a-whirl!Come on ride my tilt-a-whirl! I’ll whirl you round the world,” I barked to the mostly empty aisles at the Allegheny Fairgrounds.I looked up and down the aisles. The place was like a ghost town. While bags of pink and blue cotton candy hung in the food joints, cherry red candy apples glistened in the sunlight, and over-grown stuffed purple monkeys hung at the game booths, ripe for winning, no one was around to stuff themselves with carnie delights. The smell of kettle corn still perfumed the air, but for a carnival that was usually packed with excited townies, I swore I wouldn’t be surprised if a tumbleweed blew down the row.After a bit, two young boys came up to my line. They were the only kids around. The older looked to be about twelve. The younger, a good two inches under my height bar, had pulled himself up to full height and tried not to meet my eyes.“Tickets,” I said to them.Confidently, the older boy handed me his ticket and passed through. The younger boy hesitated. Guessing he’d be all right, I let him through. The older boy slapped him a high five when they thought they were out of earshot.I turned the key and started the ride. The boys smiled at me. I waved to them.“Hey Cricket,” Harv, the balloon-pop agent across the aisle, called to me. “Where is everyone? Allegheny Fairgrounds is usually packed. I’m gonna go hungry.”I leaned over the gate and twirled my blonde braid, checking out the split ends. “I heard someone say it’s the flu keepin’ people home. You know they closed LAX? I hear it’s gettin’ real serious. You get a flu shot?”“Naa. Damned thing always gives me the flu. You know, Bud’s got it. He’s been laid up in his RV all day.”“Anyone been by to see him?”Harv shrugged. “He’s grouchy when he feels good. I don’t imagine he’d be a barrel of laughs when he’s sick.”“No man is. Even the common cold has you all actin’ like a bunch of babies.”“This coming from a blonde,” Harv replied with a laugh.“You better watch yourself. I’ll come pop your balloons.”“Baby, a grenade couldn’t pop those balloons,” he said with a laugh.I turned back to the boys. They were all smiles; round and round they spun. Since no one else was around, I let it run until they signaled they’d had enough.Around nine o’clock that night, the owner, Mr. Marx, came by. I had not seen a soul on the fairway since the boys left. “Sorry, Cricket. We’re going to teardown to get ready for the jump to Cincinnati. We’re just burning juice and not making a dime. This place is dead; not a soul here.”“All right then,” I replied, and Mr. Marx wandered off. I realized he hadn’t said a word about when he would pay us for Allegheny Fairgrounds, dead or not.Moments after he left, the first of the evening fireworks shot across the sky. The dark sky was illuminated with gold and pink. I waited for a moment, expecting to hear the excited oohs and ahhs that usually followed what was a pretty measly fireworks display, but there was nothing, just the pop and crackle of the fireworks, followed by silence. Eerie.I whistled for Puck, my mangy mixed breed and the only male I swore I would ever truly love. After a few minutes, the hound-shepherd mix with honey-colored eyes appeared looking dirty and happy. I found him about a year ago. Well, actually, he’d found me. We were getting ready to leave Crawford County Fairgrounds when he showed up at the tilt begging for scraps. I made the mistake of feeding him a leftover funnel cake, and after that, I couldn’t shake him. He was a mischievous little devil, and Vella, the tarot reader, gave me the idea for his name: Puck. She said it was the name of a rascally faerie creature. It fit him. From that moment on, Puck and I were always together. More than once, a growl and flash of teeth from Puck had gotten me out of a jam. I loved that mangy mutt.“Up to no good, were ya?” I asked, scratching him on the head. He licked my hand and wagged his tail. I closed up my till and headed to the bunk house to look for some extra muscle to help with the teardown. As I passed through the midway I saw most of the other joints and booths were already closed. Mama Rosie was just closing up the snake show when I came by.“Marx closed down everyone up here already?” I asked her.“They’re all sick, Sug,” she replied as she dropped one of her small snakes into her bra. I shivered. Everyone loved Mama Rosie, but no one understood her relationship with her babies. She always had one hanging out of her bra, hanging around her neck, or stuffed in her clothes. Mama was a big woman who liked to wear baggy, loud-colored gowns. I hated sitting next to her at dinner. You never knew when one of the babies might suddenly slither out of her hibiscus-print dress.I set my box down and helped her push the trailer door closed. “How about you, Mama? You feelin’ all right?”“I think I ate something bad at lunch, but I’ll be fine. You headed back to the bunks?”“I guess. I was hopin’ Beau and the boys would come give me a hand.”“Sug, Beau would give you a hand, arm, leg, or toe if you asked. Why don’t you give that boy a chance?”“Oh, Mama Rosie, I don’t feel nothin’ like that for him.”“But you run off with townies often enough.”“Well, we all have needs.”Mama Rosie laughed loud. “You got that right. I thought maybe you were hoping someone would marry you out of the life.”“And give up all this?”Mama Rosie hooted again, her boisterous laughter filling the empty aisles.While the smell of Chinese food, funnel cakes, and fried sausage still filled the air, there was no one around. Power was still on, so the midway sparkled in a rainbow of light, but the place was like a ghost town. I had never seen it like that, and since I’d practically grown up in the carnival, that was saying something. Several game booth agents had even left their plush hanging—now that was odd.As Mama and I passed by Iago’s Traveling Torture show, Mr. Iago came out. I winced. After three years of traveling with Great Explorations carnival, I had yet to warm up to Mr. Iago. His show was creepy. I’d once had a look inside. The place was hung with all kinds of pictures of people being tortured, and he had old torture devices like the rack, an iron maiden, a wheel of fortune, and other small harmful contraptions. Mr. Iago was as creepy as his show. On the outside he looked normal enough, just a funny-looking little bald man with too-big-ears and a pointed nose, but it was what I felt coming from inside him that set me on edge. I never looked him in the eye.“Mama Rosie, Cricket,” he called politely.“You headed back too, Mr. Iago?” Mama called cheerfully.“Yes, ma’am, I am,” he replied softly.“You make any scratch today?” Mama asked him.“Well, I don’t like to discuss finances,” he told her in his quiet manner.“He don’t like to discuss finances,” Mama said mockingly to me. “All right, Mr. Iago. You just go on with yourself then.”“No offense, Mama Rosie,” he replied quietly.“Of course not,” she said and rolled her eyes at me.When we got back to the bunk houses there were half a dozen people sitting outside at a picnic table listening to the radio. I spotted Mr. and Mrs. Chapman. They owned three of the grab joints; Mrs. Chapman waved to us. She was a biblical woman whose savory corndog breading had won top prize at a competition last year. If you didn’t mind hearing her recite verse all day, she was fine to be around. Red and Neil, two ride jockeys, were there as well. Red ran Big Eli; Neil ran the swings. The resident lot lizard, Cici, was snuggled up to Red. I was surprised to see Vella there as well. Vella, the tarot reader, was a Romanian immigrant who called herself the only authentic Roma, which she said meant gypsy, in America. Even though she was just a little older than me, Vella scared me. She’d never done anything to me and was really nice, but she scared me all the same. The others said she was dead-on accurate with her readings and often had bad news to give. I didn’t want to be around anything like that.“What’s the news?” Mama Rosie asked.“Lord, help us! This flu is something else. They have quarantined almost every city on the west coast: LA, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco. . .you name it. They got the national guard on the highways keeping people out,” Mrs. Chapman said.She was quiet then. We listened: “And inside Portland Central Hospital, military personnel have opened fire on seemingly-rabid patients,” a female reporter was saying. “Reports from the scene indicate that a riot broke out at the hospital when patients, suffering from side-effects of what now seems to be a pandemic flu, began attacking other hospital patients and employees. CDC officials have confirmed that increased violence appears to be associated with the afflicted and continue to advise everyone to avoid direct physical contact with those with the illness. Martial law has been instituted in all major west coast cities and cities across the south. Cities across the northeast and central US have issued a curfew. There have been reports of runs on banks, grocery stores, and fueling stations.”“What are they sayin’ on TV?” I asked.Red shook his head. “We can’t get a signal in. No one’s dishes are working.”“President was on the radio. Told everyone to be calm,” Cici said.“Easy for him to say. They probably got him stashed in a bunker somewhere,” Mr. Chapman replied.“Highways are gonna be backed up. And nobody’s gonna be interested in a fair, not at Allegheny and not in Cincinnati. But I bet if we don’t jump, Marx is gonna stiff us,” I told the others.They nodded.“Well, if y’all will give me a hand, I’ll pay back the favor,” I told Red and Neil.“No problem, Cricket. You see Beau around?”I shook my head. “I just came lookin’ for him.”“He’s sick,” Vella said. She rarely spoke, so when she did, we all turned to her. “Leave him be,” she added, her voice still thick with her Romanian accent.Vella had been shuffling her cards the whole time we’d been listening to the radio. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who noticed.“What do the cards say about this flu, Vella? Should we hit the road? Stay put?” Mama Rosie asked.“Devil’s work,” Mrs. Chapman whispered under her breath.“They say the same thing over and over again: the Tower.” She laid out a card for us to see.When Mr. Iago leaned in to look, I moved away. My skin crawled having him so close. I took a step toward the other end of the table and put my hand on Mrs. Chapman’s shoulder. She patted my fingers. On the card Vella had laid out was the image of a tower on fire, two naked people falling from it to the ground.“What does it mean?” Mama Rosie asked.“The end of a way of life. Chaos will pave the way in a new world for those who can survive the destruction.”

From the cracked minds of Matthew Leo and Melissa Leo-Pahl: Comes a story of survival, hardship, and love in the throes of the Zombie Apocalypse! A mind altering super-drug paired with a mutagenic virus, sweeps the world and covers it in chaotic death, leaving only a sparse handful of the living left to inherit what remains. From different states, and all walks of life, these young survivors awake to find their world shattered beyond repair, seeking one another out, eyes ever watchful, as death and the undead await them around every blind corner. And from the ashes rises the Zombie King! A man with secrets of his own, his past, hidden in the shadows. Food is scarce now for the undead. His biggest secret, puts him at the top of the food chain! This indeed spells trouble, for our "fortunate" survivors. May fortune favor the foolish!

The sun finally broke over the horizon and a few birds were seen in the sky. It was a new day but the same old routine. The red light flashed 5:45 am and the alarm rang loud enough to wake the dead. A young man rolled over in his bed and quickly shut it off. He stretched out all of his tightened muscles, still weary from yesterday’s shift. He popped himself out of his bed to make it, not wasting any time burning sunlight. He grabbed his uniform in his fists and headed for the shower, as per his usual routine.

Breakfast was quick and easy. Time was not his ally on the daylight side, so he kept to his staples: a bowl of plain oatmeal with a glass of milk. Placing the oatmeal container back into the pantry, he realized he was down to his last cylinder of oats, and at that, he was close to empty. He made a mental note to pick some more up in a day or so. Bottles of medication lined his counter, organized first by size then the symptoms they subdued. Byron sighed, it had been a great few days and even though he was pleased with the results of the new medication, its process was still just as taxing as before. The muted voices forced their presence on his conscience again as the flashes of light he had come to know was centered on their tone. And that tone was not a happy one. No, if he was honest with himself, they were pissed off. In his peripheral, streaks of red and black danced violently with each pill he popped into mouth. Forcing them to behave yet again.

After rinsing and placing his dishes in the sink, he grabbed his store keys and ventured out into the blinding sunshine. Like clockwork his OCD kicked in, and the double-checking of all the windows and doors ensued to make sure they stood secured. Once outside, he sighed and began his two-block walk to work. Bryon was definitely not the driving type.

He did not seem to notice the deserted streets or the eerie silence that followed him. He gave it about as much attention as he did on most other days, slim to none. His focus was laser spot-on, mostly with his head down watching his feet. His pace, his gait, even the placement of his feet between the gaps in the sidewalk where they were divided was lining up measured with such fanatical precision. He was confident he had lined up with his footfalls from the day before and the day before that.

A few garbage cans laid on their sides, spilled over at the end of a neighbor’s driveway, put a small pause in his obsessive routine. He quickly righted them and continued on his way without missing a beat. He half-sprinted, half-skipped, catching himself up to where he would have been if he had not stopped. Rounding the last corner, his destination loomed off in the distance, just across the silent street. Various newspaper and circulars flew across his path. He made a mental note to come hit the curbs around the restaurant with his broom and dustpan to get it back up to his level of acceptance.

He approached the door, keys in hand. His awareness kicked into high gear when he reached for the doorknob. The door had been left slightly ajar. He realized he must have done it himself. He was not an extremely forgetful person, but every sixth or seventh time he worked, he would forget to lock up the door behind him. It felt familiar to him, so he felt no trepidation when he reached to push the door open. He stopped only long enough to let it register, more likely to mentally kick himself to not do it again. He walked in secure in his belief that everything was status quo.

His entry was uneventful.

Byron headed to the time clock, and punched in, 6:30 A.M. on the dot. In the four years since his sixteenth birthday when he began working at Nana's Cafe, he has never once been late. Come rain, shine, snow or lightning. Somehow, he always adjusted and just trudged through it. Without fail he would cross the threshold, none the worse for wear.

He gathered up his cleaning supplies, and heading straight to work. “If you got time to lean, you got time to clean.” Nana used to chant. Byron eventually got sick of hearing it, so he filled every second of his shift on the clock doing his humdrum routine. He made little games out of it, always trying to get that one spot just one degree cleaner than last time or maybe he would work on how fast he did it. Instead of something taking ten minutes, he would push himself to do it in nine, and so on and so on. Bathrooms are always first and luckily, they were in fair shape. In fact, curiously enough, they were about as clean as he had left them last the night before. Hmmm…Very lucky. As it turns out, he was almost never, ever, lucky.

He turned and headed to the dining area and noticed the disarray. He sighed to himself thinking that the night shift forgot to clean up before they left. Once that is done, he headed over to the main kitchen and finished getting the coffee pots ready, placing all the cups' handles facing to the right. They were lined up perfectly as if the very cups themselves were for sale.

After a quick checking of the time on his watch, 7:59 am, he walked over to the main window and flips over the open sign. The small buzzing sound from his watch alerts him to the time. Its 8:00am, he scanned outward to the barren streets wondering where his co-workers are. They were late.

A soft breeze picked up accented by some newspapers seen tumbling down the road. The faint outline of the heading is still visible "Outbreak Spre-".

He takes his breaks on time; he even makes himself a small lunch not wanting too much to be taken out of his paycheck. The day was the slowest it has ever been in the history of the café.

No customers.

No one came into work.

No one was out on the streets of the town.

No cars passed by.

Not even the garbage truck, which was late for Tuesday's pick up as well.

He was alone.

His shift ended at 4:00 pm; he clocked out, remembering to keep his promise to himself to lock the door behind him and began his trek home. Deciding to stray away from the sidewalk for the first time, he kept to the center of the street, with his shadow cast behind him he disappeared around the last corner to his home. His routine would not change the next day or even the next day after that. Despite several days of this, he failed to realize his routine remained the only meaning in his life he had left.

This is Byron.

This is his home town of Dodge City, Kansas.

Population: 1.

Melissa Leo Pahl

ML Pahl or simply Mel to her friends and family, grew up in coastal North Carolina. With the Marine Corps at her back and the sandy beaches beckoning her face on, she learned that nothing could hinder her imagination.

She wrote and released her first novel, Zombies Don't Ride Motorcycles, a lil’ zombie apocalypse novel that has the beginnings of a love story threaded in there, with her brother Matthew Leo in December 2014. (Written under the name Melissa Leo-Pahl)

Not wanting to be stuck in one genre, ML Pahl decided to dabble in everything from Science-Fiction to Romantic Comedy and even Paranormal. Whiskey Diaries is book one in the One Night Only series and her first solo project.

Not only is ML Pahl an author, she is the owner/operator of IndieVention Designs. A book formatting and book cover company servicing other indie authors like herself.

Melissa currently resides in the frozen north of Minnesota, where she lives with her family and those cute dogs she's always tweeting about.

Matthew Leo was born in North Beach Maryland. He is the oldest of four siblings. Blah Blah Blah. What you really want to know is how he got into writing! His first short story in the 1st grade was a wonderful epic of Ninjas rappelling into a McDonalds and the hero beating them up to save the day. He continued to write short stories and even over 200 poems to credit before graduating high school. He has rubbed elbows (talked over the internet) with such great writers as Piers Anthony and Stephen Brust. His is inspired by the works of Shakespeare, Anne Rice, and the great Steven King. Through reading he has developed his own unique style of writing. His own unique voice.

With that voice he partnered up with his sister, a long life dream, to write the world’s first Zombie Apocalypse Epic Series: Zombies Don't Ride Motorcycles.

He has plans in the works for putting his finger into many pies, most notably in the genres of Fantasy, Vampire, Erotic Thrillers, and of course one For Dummies book. :)

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Introducing tonight's Woman in Horror Month...Julianne Snow, is the author of the Days with the Undead series and Glimpses of the Undead.

She is the founder of Zombieholics Anonymous and the Co-Founder and Publicist at Sirens Call Publications. Writing in the realms of speculative fiction, Julianne has roots that go deep into horror and is a member of the Horror Writers Association.

With pieces of short fiction in various publications, Julianne always has a few surprises up her sleeves. Be sure to check out The Carnival 13, a collaborative round-robin novella for charity which she contributed to and helped to spearhead which was released in October 2013.

Julianne Snow Interview

What do you do when you’re not writing about the end of days or things that go bump in the night?The simple answer to that is living life! I work, I go out, I date, I try to get enough sleep – just the regular sort of stuff that people do.Tell me about your latest book, something unusual if possible.Anything in particular that you want to say about it? Where did you draw the inspiration from? Favourite characters? Tell us something unusual.My latest release is a short story collection called Glimpses of the Undead that features mostly Zombie tales of varying length and one lone comedic vampire tale. I’m really proud of the collection and one of the tales in it looks at what a Zombie could be and takes it to a very different level—it’s erotic but not in the realm of necrophilia!Book blurb and cover

From the mind of Julianne Snow comes an undead collection of stories that feature the gamut of emotions and situations. Presented in flash fiction and short stories, the tales are sure to leave you wanting more and checking over your shoulder.How would a group of children handle an uprising of the undead? What would you do to save a loved one only to find out that you’re facing a different threat altogether? How would a country react to a timely warning at the end of a war? What happens when a vampiric Romeo hits on an unsuspecting human? In a world where the undead are common place and protected, what happens when speed dating produces a love match?

What are you working on next and when can we expect it?At the moment, I’m working on the second, third and fourth books in the Days with the Undead series—each of them are just in different stages of being complete. As for when to expect them, I don’t put dates on anything until I’m 100% sure I can deliver them. That way, fans have something to look forward to, but don’t have the chance to be disappointed if something takes a little longer in editing or when putting on the final finishing touches.What makes you want to write about dystopia/the apocalypse and/or horror?I think it’s just naturally where my mind takes things. Horror is a definite love of mine and I think everyone has a natural curiosity for how the world will end, if it ends.Are you a prepper with an apocalypse plan in place, or are you just going to wing it?I have a definite plan I’d like to undertake but I don’t practice it—it’s likely more of an idea that anything else. I’m beginning to think I might be screwed…What’s your apocalypse/horror song?I’m really partial to Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ but I could very easily go for “Now You’re Just Somebody That I Used To Know’ by Goyte as well.I believe that the horror genre is way more accepting of female horror writers now, what’s your take on it?I do think the genre fans are more accepting but I also feel that there are a few stereotypes and glass ceilings that still exist. With time, they’ll be shattered—no system is 100% perfect.

Excerpt From Glimpses Of The Undead HORSE

It neighed softly, fear flickering in its eyes. The poor animal was scared and with just cause.A horde ringed its paddock, each of them straining against the wire fence, trying to get in.It circled the inner sanctum, nervous energy twitching its muscles as it pranced. The undead surrounding it keened desperately for the meal only a few feet away.The fence bowed slightly before snapping back, propelling part of the gathered group backward. With the wall of bodies behind them, they snapped forward again, the tension on the fence finally causing it to buckle inward. Like molasses, they flooded into the pasture, each of them slowed by the sheer number clamouring to get in.As the undead sought out the entrance to their prey, the animal saw its chance.With hands scrabbling to catch hold, it bolted in the opposite direction, barely clearing the fence as it jumped. Hands continued to grab at the fuzz-covered muscle as it mowed down any who stood in its way.Clearing a copse of trees, it was brought up short. The numbers in front greatly outweighed those behind. Flight took over again and it bolted through the middle, only to be stopped by the sheer number of bodies packed tightly together.Within moments it fell, its attempt at escape over.

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.You can reach her aterinhayesbooks@gmail.comand she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars. Social Media Links

Erin Hayes Interview

What do you do when you’re not writing about the end of days or things that go bump in the night?Oh dear, writing takes a lot of time, so this might sound boring! I currently work full-time as an advertising copywriter for an advertising agency in Birmingham, Alabama. I get to write tv commercials and have fun doing it. I'm also on a never ending quest to get into working out daily, although that lasts for the first day. I'm also helping my husband create his first video game.Tell me about your latest book, something unusual if possible.Anything in particular that you want to say about it? Where did you draw the inspiration from? Favourite characters? Tell us something unusual.Fractured came to me in a terrifying dream, where I was trapped in a burning building, unable to get out although I felt something malevolent try to keep me there with it. I couldn't sleep for a week after it. From there, that scene evolved into the book that it is.As for my favourite character, hands down, I'd say Lily because she is at the mercy of elements beyond her control. I had the most fun developing her character and I really do feel for her, despite what happens in the story. And the tension between her and Bash was fun to explore as well!

Blurb & Cover

Blinded by a mysterious seizure when she was three years old, Bash Martin has managed to carve out a normal life for herself as an adult. Yet she still yearns for a deeper connection with her twin sister Lily, who has always been jealous of the attention their parents bestowed upon Bash due to her disability.A dream vacation seems like the perfect chance to heal their relationship, but Bash soon realizes there is something terribly wrong with Lily and that her sister is hiding a dark secret. And when a supernatural fire engulfs their hotel and corpses come back to life, the sisters are plunged into a nightmarish world that threatens not only their lives, but their very souls.

Purchase Links

What are you working on next and when can we expect it? I am currently working on a mermaid novella for a collection with some great authors to be released this summer, a series about superheroes trying to figure out who they are when there's no more threat, and a YA vampire novel. I'm trying to get them released as soon as possible, so watch this space!What makes you want to write about dystopia/the apocalypse and or horror? I think I want to write in those genres because I've always wondered what I'd do in those situations. My characters may do something totally different than what I'd do, but it makes me stop and appreciate our different psyches. Plus, I find it completely entertaining.Are you a prepper with an apocalypse plan in place, or are you just going to wing it? Oh, I can't even plan what I'm wearing the next day, I'm definitely not prepped for an apocalypse. I'll probably be the first to go.What’s your apocalypse/horror song? The Beginning is the End is the Beginning by Smashing Pumpkins. Nothing gives me more chills than that song.I believe that the horror genre is way more accepting of female horror writers now, what’s your take on it. While I haven't experienced some of the negativity myself, I do see the genre becoming more accepting of female writers than in the past. I've heard some stories from some friends of mine, so to see the turn in the industry has been really encouraging. I hope it continues.

Best-selling and award-winning author, Rhonda Hopkins, has learned first-hand that truth is stranger than fiction. Her two decades of experience as an investigator provide her characters with a depth and realism that gives truth a run for its money.

Having come in contact with the best and the worst that society has to offer, Rhonda's imagination is filled with story ideas. Rhonda writes Horror, Suspense, Paranormal, and YA Urban Fantasy. Social Media Links

Rhonda Hopkins Interview

What do you do when you’re not writing about the end of days or things that go bump in the night?Well, when I'm not writing, reading, or watching those, I'm spending time with my family. I'm fortunate that we're so close-knit. Of course that means everyone's always in everyone else's business, too. But the trade-off is worth it. My sister is my best friend; although, I'm not sure I would have ever thought that would happen when we were younger and trying to kill each other every other day. :-)

Tell me about your latest book, something unusual if possible.Anything in particular that you want to say about it? Where did you draw the inspiration from? Favourite characters? Tell us something unusual.My SURVIVAL series is set in Fort Worth, Texas and I use my knowledge of the courthouses and jails from my days as an investigator to give the current "safe" area realism. Of course, I had to do a little fictional modifying to make the courthouse work for what I needed. For instance, the courthouse I'm using in the story does not have a cafeteria; although, I lobbied for one when they were building it. :-)I also have twin nieces and I use some of their likenesses and differences for my main characters, Sarah and Dana. Don't tell them that though or they'll probably demand some of the royalties. LOLBook Blurb & Cover

When Sarah escapes from her brutal abductors, she promises to return to rescue her twin sister, but with the walking dead invading Fort Worth, TX, she is forced to rely on a competitive coworker who made her work life hell for years. With her coworker weakened by cancer treatments, her sister still imprisoned, and zombies looking for an easy meal, Sarah’s only plan, if she can pull it off, is Survival.

Survival Excerpt

Sarah Jamison's gaze met her twin's fear-filled blue eyes. "I—""It's no use. The cuff is too tight. You're going to have to leave me." Dana put her free hand on Sarah's, stilling their frantic motions."No. I won't leave you. Maybe I can . . ." She turned, taking in the empty basement—the cement walls, exposed pipes, and her sister handcuffed to one of the metal cylinders. A small amount of light trickled in through the one lone window, but there was nothing she could use as a weapon. Unless . . . .She strode over to the dangling pipe from which she had managed to extricate herself earlier. Grabbing the unattached end, she tried wresting it clear of its fittings, her own wrist dangling handcuffs which clinked against the metal with each pull. Rust and time made it impossible to remove."Sarah—""No." Tears ran down her face. "I can't leave you, Dana.""You have to. It's the only way we're both getting out of here. You have to go for help." Sarah knelt beside her sister who reached out and wiped her thumb across her cheek, brushing the tears aside. "I'll be okay until you get back. I won't give them any excuse to throw me out to those . . . ." Dana choked back the word they had both been avoiding, choosing another instead. "Creatures."

What are you working on next and when can we expect it?I'm currently working on the second in the SURVIVAL series: DEAD OF WINTER. If all goes as planned, it should be out by the first of April.

I'm also working on a paranormal suspense novel, DEADLY REUNION and plan to start a new YA urban fantasy series soon called GEMINI PROPHECY. I've got a lot of writing to do in the near future!What makes you want to write about dystopia/the apocalypse and or horror?I've always loved the horror genre. I guess I owe that to my grandmother. I would spend most of my weekends with her growing up and we'd settle in with our popcorn and watch whatever horror classic was on. I really miss her!I started reading Stephen King very young and I just haven't been able to get enough of the genre since. I love that creepy sensation and the adrenaline from the fear that good writers can evoke. So, writing dark fiction just came naturally and I hope I'm able to share those senses with my readers as well.But, as much as I love reading about zombies and other dystopian fiction, I never planned to write a zombie story. It wasn't until author TW Brownasked me to write something for a charity anthology (LET'S SCARE CANCER TO DEATH) that the idea came to me for SURVIVAL. It was only supposed to be a one-time creation. However, I loved writing about the characters and zombies so much, I decided to continue their story.

Are you a prepper with an apocalypse plan in place, or are you just going to wing it?A little of both. I don't have a large stock-pile, but I'm prepared for a short-time period which is good for any emergency. And of course I have my weapons for self-defense. With my luck, I figure the apocalypse will happen when I'm nowhere near my emergency supplies, so I've thought about what I would do if that happened and I have a plan. But we all know that during chaos, carefully crafted plans can and usually do go awry. So we have to be prepared to just "wing it" to survive. I believe that the horror genre is way more accepting of female horror writers now, what’s your take on it.Absolutely! And thank goodness. :-) I don't recall very many female horror writers in the past. But maybe that was just because of the way the established publishers and book stores marketed books. With many authors now going the indie route, we have many more authors to choose from. I've been fortunate to find a great deal of new authors that I absolutely love. Lots of women that can create that visceral feeling I talked about before. Women like Eli Constant, Billie Sue Mosiman, Alexie Aaron, and of course, Claire C. Riley -- just to name a few.

She is the author of the award winning Contagium Series published by Permuted Press as well as many independently published novels, including the internationally bestselling novel, STAY. Emily writes in a wide variety of genres, from horror to romance. She holds multiple degrees in psychology and nursing and has worked in mental health and general healthcare. Emily resides in Indiana with her husband, daughter, and German Shepherd named Vader. Along with writing, Emily enjoys riding her horse, designing and making costumes, and Cosplay.

Emily Goodwin Interview

What do you do when you’re not writing about the end of days or things that go bump in the night? If I’m not writing, then I’m chasing around a toddler, taking care of my horses, or working on a new costume (I love cosplay!). Occasionally, I sit down and watch Supernatural and Arrow and sometimes sleep. Tell me about your latest book, something unusual if possible.Anything in particular that you want to say about it? Where did you draw the inspiration from? Favourite characters? Tell us something unusual.My latest book is the first part in an erotic serial called TEASE ME. It’s contemporary suspense romance. I write sexy romance as well as horror (but my horror has some pretty smexy scenes too). This book was very fun to write!

**Do not read this book if you do not like fast paced, erotic plots, forward thinking women, dominant and tattooed Latin men, and dirty sex. Lots of dirty sex. Extra panties are recommended. Prudes be warned: this book is HOT. For readers 18+**

Ellie Morgan has played the role of the good girl her entire life. She follows the rules, works hard, does what she's supposed to do, and rarely takes an unnecessary risk. But when she's turned down again and again for a promotion at work, Ellie decides she must do something drastic to prove her skills as a police officer to everyone at work...and to herself.But the small drug deal she tries to bust turns out to be bigger and more dangerous than she ever imagined, and she finds herself kidnapped and smuggled across the border to Mexico. Her life is now in the hands of Alejandro Calaveras, a handsome and powerful cartel leader.Alejandro promises not to kill her...as long as she agrees to obey him. With his dark eyes, tattoos, and devil-may-care attitude, Ellie agrees, knowing that submitting to someone as dangerous and sexy as Alejandro could be her undoing...or her escape.From the moment he lays eyes on her, Alejandro is drawn to Ellie. As an American police officer, Ellie is the forbidden fruit, the enemy, the one who has the power to destroy him.After he gets a taste, he wants more. And Alejandro always gets what he wants.TEASE ME is part one of a three part novella serial. It is approximately 33,000 words long. Tempt Me, coming 2.17.15Take Me, coming 3.10.15

What are you working on next and when can we expect it? Beyond the Sea-a NA paranormal romance about mermaids that is coming out April 21st.What makes you want to write about dystopia/the apocalypse and or horror? I like horror because I like pushing the limits on what human nature can withstand. While I love the blood and gore side too (former nurse here, there isn’t much that grosses me out when I’ve been there, done that when it comes to wounds/infections/bodily fluids in real life), what I like best about this genre is seeing how my characters react when pushed to their breaking point. In a post-apoc setting, there are no governing rules. People are really at their own mercy, and their very humanity is tested. Are you a prepper with an apocalypse plan in place, or are you just going to wing it? I’d be a bigger prepper if my husband weren’t so practical! I make sure we have enough food and water in case of a “legit” emergency, like a bad snowstorm. I do own several weapons and keep a stock of extra ammo just in case. I also have horses. That counts for something right? A good mode of transportation if we can’t get gas for cars! What’s your apocalypse/horror song? Oh gosh, I can’t pick one. My writing playlist has everything from Shake it Off to Coming Undone. It’s very random.I believe that the horror genre is way more accepting of female horror writers now, what’s your take on it? I’ve been well received in the horror world. I have had more than a handful of people say things like “this book was surprisingly good because it was written by a woman.” Not everything was spoken as an insult, but more of a cultural norm to be surprised women can write gory horror. I’ve had people in real life tell me they are surprised I write anything remotely dark because of how I look, which is totally mind boggling to me. I never knew horror authors were supposed to look a certain way until I became one and was told I didn’t “look” like one.

Tonight we have Margo Bond Collins she is the author of urban fantasy, contemporary romance, and paranormal mysteries. She has published a number of novels, including Sanguinary, Taming the Country Star, Legally Undead, Waking Up Dead, and Fairy, Texas. She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. Although writing fiction is her first love, she also teaches college-level English courses online. She enjoys reading romance and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, monsters, cowboys, and villains, and the strong women who love them—and sometimes fight them.

Margo Bond Collins Interview

Can you give us an interesting fact about your book that isn't in the blurb?One of the main characters from Sanguinary—Detective Iverson—is in this book, too. How did you choose your title?I took a poll of the members of my street team! The Vampirarchy is my Facebook group of readers and fans, and when I was getting Sanguinary written, I asked for title suggestions. "Bound by Blood" was one of them—I liked it so much, I decided to keep it for this book! (If you're interested in joining The Vampirarchy, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vampirarchy/Tell us about the cover and how it came to be.At the Indie Book Fest in Orlando last summer, I met Naj from Najla Qamber Designs (www.najlaqamberdesigns.com). She had created several pre-made covers for the conference, and I fell in love with this one, so I snapped it up right there. I'm a bit of a cover hoarder. Sometimes I have covers designed for books, but other times, I find covers I love and save them for books I want to write. Did you self-publish or publish traditionally and why?Both! I'm a hybrid author. I've published with several publishers, and I self-publish, as well.What is your writing process?In terms of my daily process, I do my best to write at least 1000 new words a day, five days a week—not much for a full-time writer, but because I also teach a number of online college courses, have a young child, and am involved in editing and marketing other works, it tends to be about the most I can reliably manage. I write on a laptop in a home office set aside for work, and when I get stuck, I go for a walk or take a bath. When I’m horribly stuck, I switch over from typing to writing longhand for a while.How long have you been writing?I've been writing for as long as I can remember. The first story I remember actually writing down was basically fan-fiction of The Wizard of Oz. I wrote it in long-hand in a yellow legal pad. I’ve been writing ever since.How did you get started writing professionally?About ten years ago, a friend suggested I join in National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org). Until then, I had always written short stories. That year, I finished the first draft of what would eventually become Legally Undead—it was my second published novel, but it’s the first one I wrote.Are you a plotter or a pantser?I used to be a complete pantser—someone who wrote by the seat of my pants without much idea of where I was going next. That was an important stage of my development as a writer—it enabled me to actually finish several novels! But my amazing editor at Entangled asked me to provide her with complete, detailed synopses before I ever started really writing the novels. So now, I write specific synopses that detail all the major points of the story. Then, I work on writing scenes that lead up to and follow from those major points. Sometimes the points change—I don’t always know exactly what my characters are going to do!—but having the map makes it easier to fill in the blanks.What part of the writing process is the hardest for you?Finding enough time to write as much as I want to!What kind of music do you like to listen to while you write?I usually don't listen to music when I write—I prefer silence. But now that I have a child, I sometimes get out the earbuds when my husband's on kid-watching duty! At those times, I tend to listen to compilation albums or soundtracks. Right now, I've got soundtracks to The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries, and the Veronica Mars movie repeating over and over. Who is your favourite author?There are too many to list all of them! But here are a few: Neil Gaiman, Charles Stross, China Mieville, Holly Black, Mark Danielewski, Ann Aguirre, Carrie Vaughn, Rachel Vincent, Richelle Mead, Melanie Karsak, Katie Hayoz, Blaire Edens.

Read anything good lately?Tons! Most recently: Midway by Melanie Karsak, Untethered by Katie Hayoz, Perdition and Havoc by Ann Aguirre, Darker Days by Jus Accardo, Wild About Rachel by Blaire Edens. And I've got an ARC of Carrie Vaughn's next book to read next weekend!What advice would you give an author just starting out?The very best advice I ever got was just this: keep writing new things. Always have a work in progress. Finish writing a piece, do a quick edit, and submit it somewhere for publication. Then move on to the next project. Don’t wait to hear back—that way lies madness! If it’s rejected (and often it will be; that’s the nature of writing for publication), don’t let it get you down. Just send it out again and go back to your work in progress.

And remember that this business is changing rapidly! You can always self-publish—but if you do, be prepared for a steep learning curve!Have you had anything else published?Waking Up DeadFairy, TexasLegally UndeadTaming the Country StarSanguinary What's your next project?I'm currently working on Opposing the Cowboy, the second book in my Hometown Heroes series for Entangled Publishing. I'm also working on sequels to Waking Up Dead, Fairy Texas, and Legally Undead. It's the year of the sequel for me!

Bound By Blood Cover, Blurb & Excerpt

Sometimes the monsters in the dark are real...

As a child, Lili Banta ignored her grandmother's cryptic warnings to avoid children outside their Filipino community in Houston. When many of those other children fell ill, Lili ignored the whispers in her community that a vampiric aswang walked among them.

Years later, Lili returns to Houston to work for the Quarantine Station of the Center for Disease Control—but she is plagued by dark, bloody dreams that consume her nights and haunt her days. When a strange illness attacks the city's children, Lili is called in to find its source, and maybe even a cure.

But in order to save the city, she must first acknowledge the sinister truth: A monster stalks the night—closer than she ever expected....

Bound By Blood Excerpt

Sitting straight up in bed, I gasped and threw myself back against the headboard, the thud dying away along with the remaining shreds of my dream.But the word still ricocheted through my mind.Aswang.Until yesterday, I hadn't thought of the term in years—not since I'd left Houston for med school in Maine, determined to get as far away from home as I could.But this resurgence of the same, odd illness that had swept my city years before was apparently also dredging up the old stories from deep in my subconscious: the aswang, a vampiric woman who lived a quiet life by day and fed on children in the night, flying back home on bat-wings just before dawn.My unconscious mind had clearly also expanded on the idea, casting me in the role of aswang and adding schizoid conversations with a chorus of internal voices.Great. I'm insane in my dreams.And I'm a monster.Shuddering, I wiped my hand across my gritty, raw eyelids.

It's alive! It's ALIVE!!!!At Hell's Gates - Origin of Evil, a charity anthology with ALL funds going directly to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund a charity which supports veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI is now available to purchase across all platforms.

Twenty-three tales of terror to give you nightmares, from some of the greatest names in horror right now, including Mark Tufo, Shana Festa, Ian Mcclellan, Stevie Kopas, S.G.Lee, and many many more.

You'll even find a gruesome tale from myself within those creepy pages...